Zhong Qu teaches children some basic safety principles during their holidays.

A national campaign, with the theme of protecting children's safety and caring for children during summer vacation, was launched in Beijing on July 16. The campaign is being sponsored by the All-China Women's Federation, the Ministry of Education and nine other ministries or departments. Various online and offline activities have been held across the country. Volunteers, from all walks of life, including teachers, university students and presidents of women's federations, have brought love and warmth to in-need rural children.

The campaign aims to cultivate children's patriotism, provide life-safety education, help protect children's physical and mental health, and help enhance the sense of happiness of needy children and children whose parents have left their hometowns for work. During the campaign's launch, representatives of children and volunteers received brochures, on children's safety protection, and packages from the Hello Kids projects.

'Caring Mothers'

Many "caring mothers" (from women's federations), who have cared for needy children for many years, have been participating in the campaign.

In Yongrong, a town in Yongchuan District, in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, it is common for parents to send their children to Happy Class during their summer vacations.

The class was established in 2016 by Zhong Qu, who became president of Yongrong Women's Federation that year. During her visits to villages, Zhong learned that most of the children lived with their grandparents because their parents worked in other cities. She also learned the grandparents didn't have much energy to educate and care for the children, especially during summer holidays.

Zhong believes safety and studies are of equal importance to children during holidays. So, she decided to set up a class, to offer the children a good environment to study and enjoy themselves during their holidays.

With the support of the town's Party (Communist Party of China) committee and the local community workers, she established the class and mobilized volunteers to be teachers. The children are taught patriotism and paper-cutting skills, and they participate in story-sharing activities, on family traditions and family virtues, and various other activities.

During the past several years, an increasing number of volunteers have been accompanying and caring for children. 

Affected by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), this year's class opened — online — on July 20. Volunteers have offered psychological guidance and taught children how to avoid drowning.

"Children are safe in our class. They can complete their homework on time and broaden their horizons. We feel at ease, and we have a sense of accomplishment," Zhong says.

There are many "caring mothers," like Zhong, who can always offer a helping hand when children need it most.

Huang Feifeng is president of the women's federation and director of children affairs in Yuanyan, a village in Lingshan County, in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Of the 1,305 children in the village, 107 either do not live with their parents or live in difficult circumstances. Huang visits the children each month, to learn about their lives, and to learn how she can help them.

Cao Yanhua, president of the women's federation of Sanhekou, a village in Yiyang, in Central China's Hunan Province, launched an activity to ensure each child (whose parents work in other cities) in the village has a "caring mother," or a "caring uncle," to love and care for him/her. Cao believes children will develop healthily, with love in their hearts, if they receive care from others.

Volunteer Teachers   

As part of the campaign, China Children and Teenagers' Fund and Beijing Yuanwang Charity Foundation have selected 2,000 college students to be volunteers from 14,623 online applicants from across the country. Each volunteer has received a "care package," each of which contains more than 30 items of stationery and daily necessities, such as paintbrushes, picture books and first-aid kits.

Fu Banlu is one of the volunteers. She was admitted to Minzu University of China, in Beijing, in 2017. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak earlier this year, she had to stay in her hometown, Daozang, a village in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, in Northwest China's Gansu Province, for several months. So, she decided to tutor children in the village.

Fu offers online classes to help children review their courses, and she shares her stories about and experiences at university to satisfy the children's curiosity.

"I have always wanted to be a volunteer teacher in a rural area to help relieve the shortage of rural teachers. I didn't expect my dream would be realized so soon. I will try to be a good teacher — and a sister — to them," Fu says.

Zhu Guodong is a student from Wuhan University, in Wuhan, in Central China's Hubei Province. During the first half of this year, Zhu had to stay in his hometown, Yangping, a village in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, in Gansu Province.  

During the summer vacation, he organized more than 50 college students to offer one-on-one tutoring online to primary school students in the village.

Each volunteer basically teaches twice a week, for at least one hour at a time. The length of time and frequency of the online class can be adjusted according to the children's needs.

Zhu encourages the teachers to send lesson plans and problems they encounter to a WeChat group, where the tutors can discuss their experiences to help each other improve their efficiency and better help the children.

"In my class, I hope the children can learn to respect their elders, enjoy learning, and deepen their love for the people around them, the village and our country. I am willing to work hard for it," Zhu says.

Huang Kairong, 15, and her younger brother, Huang Kaifu, 13, live in Lixiang, a village in Dingyuan County, in East China's Anhui Province. They are both in the first year of junior high school.

They have expressed their gratitude to the volunteers in a letter: "Brothers, sisters and other people who have helped us, thank you for giving us strength during our difficult times. We will now pass on this strength to more people. In the future, we will have good manners, respect our elders, learn to be independent, and to love ourselves and others more."

Chen Qiaoqiao communicates with children about legal knowledge during a legal-education summer camp.

Nourishing Hearts with Love  

Chen Qiaoqiao is a prosecutor with the People's Procuratorate of Jinjiang District, in Chengdu, the capital of Southwest China's Sichuan Province. She began handling juveniles' cases in 2014.

With the support of the district's Party committee, and the procuratorate, Chen spent four years establishing a social-support system for the minors. The system, called Xinyu Dream Studio, combines judicial guidance with the extensive participation of individuals, institutions and social groups and organizations.

Chen says a long-term mechanism for discovering, reporting, referring and handling of juvenile cases was needed, and that extensive participation of individuals, institutions and social groups and organizations were crucial to helping and educating minors.

Xinyu Dream Studio has organized legal-education summer camps for five consecutive years. During the camps, children visit the judicial departments and legal-education bases, and they receive legal education. "This year, we will focus on teaching how to prevent sexual assault," Chen says.

Children raise their hands to answer questions about traffic safety.

Joint Efforts

Various activities have been held across the country during this summer vacation. In East China's Jiangsu Province, strengthening safety education has become the top priority for summer activities. The contents of the safety education include traffic safety, mental health, how to avoid drowning, and how to better protect girls.

Chongqing started a month-long activity, with the theme on children's safety education, and also organized fire drills for families.

Central China's Hunan Province launched a cooking activity, and invited executive committee members of local women's federations to make biscuits with children.

In Huainan, in Anhui Province, Huainan Civil Affairs Bureau invited professional social-service agencies and volunteer-service organizations to publicize laws, regulations and policies on the care and protection of rural children.

An anti-bullying activity was held in Nanning, in Guangxi. Thirty-five families visited Xingning District People's Court, and the children learned how to use legal means to protect themselves.

During the summer vacation, people from all walks of life, and from across the country, were mobilized to protect children — and to deliver warmth and hope to children.

Caring mothers and children pose for a group photo during an activity held by the local women's federation.

Photos Supplied by Interviewees

(Women of China English Monthly September 2020 issue)